Growing Long, Luscious Hair (Somewhat) Quickly

People ask me regularly how I get my hair to grow so long, so I decided to put my long hair tips together in this hub to help those of you struggling to grow out your hair.

I'm sure many of you spend a lot of time researching the internet for the next quick growth product to add inches to your tresses or tips that promise to work in a week (I used to do it too!). I don't have any miracle cream to sell to you, but I can tell you what actually works.

With these tips, you can grow your hair up to four inches in a few short months.

Tip 1: Biotin

Biotin is a vitamin that is formulated for hair, skin and nail health. You can find it at many retail stores for a low price, which is just a fraction of the cost of fancy "hair growth" shampoos.

I take the 500mcg form of the pill, though there are even stronger forms of it. I have heard of complaints of nausea from the higher potency pills though, so beware.

I found that taking one of these every day for several months general increased the health and shine of my hair, keeping trimmings to a minimum and reducing heat damage.

Tip 2: Reducing Stress

This is the absolute MOST important thing for hair growth. When I was trying to grow my shoulder-length hair out, I was very stressed out. A few months later I made changes in my life that reduced my stress level to practically none (yes, I have no stress!). This dramatic change noticeably improved my hair's growth capability.

Tips on Reducing Stress

Tip 3: Cutting Out Haircuts

This may sound a little crazy to you if you stick to getting a trim every 6 weeks as recommended, but don't worry your ends will still see relief. Going to the salon and getting a trim every few weeks is unnecessary when growing out your hair. Since split end are inevitable, it is wise to invest in a pair of hair cutting scissors (eyebrow scissors work fine as well) to cut them off. I spend a good 30 minutes going through every strand I can and carefully trimming the split end off. This cannot be done with regular scissors, as they damage your follicle.

This method, over time, can cause hair to be a little uneven. I recommend a professional trim once or twice a year.

Tip 4: You Don't Have to Give up Heat

Though I'm sure the sensitive hair types will disagree on this one, I do not feel heat needs to be given up in order to grow out your hair. I straighten my curly hair every day and don't feel it causes any difference in hair growth. I get it, if you don't straighten or blow dry your locks you end up looking like chewbacca (so do i, so do i) and you don't want to give it up! And updo gets annoying and boring, plus your ear get cold.

Heat does cause more split ends though, so here are a few more tips to reduce damage from heat.

Don't "multi-swipe" when straightening your hair. What I mean by this is that you shouldn't need to pull the straightener across the same section more than once. Instead, I find it extremely helpful to use a small toothed comb and carry it through the hair at the same time as the straightener, in front of it of course. This may require a few practice rounds.

Use heat protection spray, especially on the ends.

Put a small amount of conditioner through your hair after washing it. This provides a little more protection and softness.

I don't feel coloring treatments are particularly damaging for your hair growth process, unless you are bleaching. Make sure to have your hair deep conditioned when you have it colored.

Tip 4: Be Kind To Your Hair

My biggest piece of advice is to be mindful of how you are brushing your hair. Always brush from the ends upwards to keep your hear from breaking and losing that length you've been working for. I recommend a paddle brush, which is easier to pull through without yanking your hair out.

Be careful when brushing wet hair. You should not be doing this with a comb and without putting a small amount of conditioner through it. Hair is the most vulnerable when wet and need extra care.

Also, try to keep hairspray use to a minimum, as it dries out your strands and can cause serious damage if heated with it on. I personally never use hairspray.